Dubai in Two Days

Before I went to Dubai, friends kept telling me I would probably not gonna like it. It was like a Disneyland for grown up guys, they said. Well, I love Disneyland. And I love grown up guys. So it was more than obvious that I also loved Dubai. Unfortunately I could only stay for two days. Get some ideas through this post how to make the most of a short stay:

WHERE TO STAYI was staying at the recently opened Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. As an only resort located in the residential part of Jumeirah it has a unique private beach. And you could nearly jump in from the pool. I loved the huge rooms and the bathtub in the middle of the bathroom. I never get into bathtubes in hotels though, because I am always afraid to fall asleep and miss out some meals. BEACHESKite beach is my favorite in Dubai. It looks more like Ibiza or Miami and is full of havaianas, hotpants and of course some good looking kite surfers. To see the longest beach in Dubai, go to the Dubai Marina. It has skyscrapers and restaurants on one side and beach bars and the sea on the other. And at the end there is even a little park and a farmer’s market.DURING THE DAYFor the highest view you can currently get outside a plane, head to Burj Khalifa – with 829 meters it is the highest building in the world. It is crazy to see how tiny all the other scyscrapers look beside it. Make sure to pre-book your ticket on the website and don’t miss your slot! They are strict.So this is the view! Try to get there between 12 and 3 p.m. when the sun is high and there is no reflection at the window. I went a way too early and couldn’t really take the perfect picture…The entrance to Burj Khalifa is also the Dubai Mall entrance and it’s huuuge (350.000 qm). I nearly got lost between all the shoe stores, sweets and dino skeletons!My favorite place in the mall remained the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. A funky experience to see the belly of sharks and rays while walking the tunnel up and down. The second floor was disappointing though… I also loved the Graffiti-Foodtrucks with Hotdogs and Tacos they put on the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard during the Food Festival, which takes place every year in February.Also make sure to visit Deira, the oldest part of Dubai, and have a lunch in one of their new cafés (like Creekside) before you hop on a boat or spend all your money in the gold souk. Therefore my advice: go the the spice sook instead and save the money for the night! It can become a real challenge in Dubai to see the famous palm. It’s simply too huge and the fronds look like regular streets when you are on them. One option is to go with Palm Monorail, a train which operates on a higher level. Another (superhigh and superadventurous) option is Skydiving, which became so popular in Dubai during the last year. And, of course, there is still a helicopter option for those who don’t dare to jump.Another place I would highly recommend is Madinat Jumeirah, an artificial lagoon city, where abras (watertaxis) bring you to one of the 45 restaurants. A Pacha Ibiza Dubai just opened it’s doors there – another good reason to visit.DURING THE NIGHTGo back to Burj Khalifa in the evening to watch the fountain show (from 6 p.m. every half an hour). It’s short but impressive.For a nice bar I didn’t even had to leave my hotel (lobby on the pictures above). Just went to the rooftop…The new Mercury Lounge overviews the skyline on the one side and the sea on the other (it was too dark to capture it). And they have a bar looking like a huge silver ball in the middle of the place.Also the drinks are creative: served in baby bottles or covered with a slice of pineapple. Accompanied by my favorite food: FRIES! Truffle fries, sweet potato fries, herbs fries…This was favorite: a destructed Bloody Mary haha!If you are only staying one night in Dubai and want to check out several locations, book one of the food tours the agency Lime & Tonic offers (starting from 100 euros with food and drinks). I had the mystery tour, which brought me to 4 different restaurants with two courses each. What a life!The first place to go was Table 9, Dubai’s restaurant of the year. The Chef used to work with Gordon Ramsay in London and the food was fantastic but no view. So this place is more for your tongue than for your eyes…Then we went to Mint Leaf (Indian kitchen), which would be a perfect place to impress a girl. Look at this view! After that we tried Hakkasan (Chinese kitchen) with a nice garden area……the longest bar I’ve ever seen (it didn’t even fit in my picture)……and of course some yummy dim sum and a Peking duck. Concerning food, this place was my number 1!Flying with Emirates is the most convenient way to get to Dubai. Get general Dubai information at www.dubaitourism.ae !